Spring is finally around the corner! Daylight savings has us springing forward and we finally see Easter on the calendar. By March I am always SO DONE with winter in more ways than one. Especially in my kitchen! These ricotta and lemon cupcakes have a light feel to them, with just a hint of lemon. The strawberry buttercream made with fresh strawberries has a bright flavor. It pairs really well with the delicate flavor of the cupcakes. The pink color of the icing is so festive and fits right in with the rest of the pastels that are bound to be in your table’s cape.

These cupcakes were super easy to make, even with them being from scratch! One of my tips when baking is to always sift together your dry ingredients as well as mixing your wet and dry ingredients separately first. I also made sure to take out my butter prior to baking to give it a chance to soften up. You need a bunch for the icing and the cupcakes!

When making the icing I also recommend after you puree the strawberries that you strain out the seeds before mixing them in. This way you will get a smooth and creamy texture to your icing. As you can see they have a beautiful pink color, which makes a great centerpiece for your table.

Fresh Ricotta & Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

ingredients

cupcakes

• 1 3/4 c flour

• 2 tbsp cornstarch

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4tsp salt

• 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 c fresh ricotta cheese

• 1/4 c whole milk

• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

buttercream frosting

• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter

• 2-3 c powdered sugar

• 6 oz strawberries, pureed

• 1 large lemon, freshly squeezed

instructions

cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

3. Add the butter and mix on medium-low speed for two minutes. Add in the sugar and mix for one minute more.

4. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, ricotta, and vanilla extract until smooth.

5. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.

6. Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined.

7. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.

8. Bake for 18 -20minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it. If they are not done, test again every two minutes

9. When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from cupcake tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don't own a cooling rack) to cool.

buttercream frosting

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy.

2. Slowly mix in powdered sugar until fully combined. I ended up adding in 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. Add in a little bit at a time until you achieve your desired consistency.

3. Puree strawberries and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Press through a fine sieve to remove seeds. Measure out 1/2 cup of strawberry puree and mix into the frosting until well combined.

4. Spread or pipe on cooled cupcake. If you do not wait until they are cooled the icing will melt off! You can use a piping bag or cut a tiny hole in corner of ziploc bag. Fill the bag with the buttercream and pipe on top cupcakes as desired.